Greening The Capitol
Most people are familiar with the White House in Washington D.C. But how about the Green House?
Although no name change is in the plans, the U.S. House of Representatives is leaning green in a big way. Changes both small and great are making the familiar domed building more eco-friendly. The “Green The Capitol” team has a goal to make the House the world’s first carbon-neutral legislative body.
A large project already underway is the relighting of the dome. The conventional lights used to illuminate the building by night use a lot of electricity, need to be changed frequently and get extremely hot. The House has initiated a study to replace the old lighting with a more energy-efficient model.
According to a report from the Green The Capitol Office, “Ultimately the Dome will become more than a symbol of democracy; it will also be an emblem for environmental responsibility and a commitment to using taxpayers’ money wisely. ”
Some of the other goals accomplished by the team include:
- Eliminating all Styrofoam and plastic food service items
- Replacing all plates, cups, utensils and take-out carriers with compostable items
- Installing food pulpers in House food service operations to remove water, making waste 70 percent lighter and 100 percent compostable
- An agreement with the Department of Agriculture to compost food service waste
- Purchasing organic and locally grown food (within a 150-mile radius) whenever possible
- Obligating the House Office Supply Store to sell only 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper
- Encouraging the reduction of paper use through electronic reports
- Partnering with Zipcar to provide car-sharing services with four on-site hybrid cars
- Reducing cooling fan run times by 14 percent
- Activating economizers on air conditioners, cutting energy use by up to 20 percent
The team is also replacing conventional light bulbs with CFLs, which are more energy efficient and last longer. By the end, there will be 30,000 CFLs decorating the ceilings and halls. So far, 7,000 have been installed. The task sounds simple, but many of the lamps and chandeliers are antiques, complicating the project. However in as little as five months, the bulbs will have paid for themselves in energy-cost savings.
There are also several alternative energy options underway. The coal-fired Capitol Power Plant is one of the biggest polluters in the district. Legislative-branch operations generated 316,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases in fiscal 2006. In the future, wind power will provide 100 percent of the House’s energy.
Another aspect of the project is reaching out to the House’s 10,000 employees. More than 1,500 employees attended a Green The Capitol Expo, where various alternative fuel vehicles were featured and bike-to-work and public transportation programs were highlighted. It is also a matter of small, every day choices, like printing less or turning off the computer monitor before leaving, according to the Green The Capitol site.
Chief Administrative Officer Dan Beard describes the Green the Capitol initiative as “a long-term mission. It will require alliances and coalitions, both with other government agencies and with private-sector partners. Most of all it will require the commitment of all of our 10,000 employees.”
